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Phoenix Children's Hospital

Phoenix

Phoenix Children's Hospital

The Zone at Phoenix Children’s Hospital is the eighth and most recent Zone to open, on November 9, 2012. Adding a Zone to the hospital was the vision of the late Mike Beninato, whose triplets received excellent neonatal care after being born prematurely at a hospital outside Chicago. When the family moved to Phoenix, Mike wanted to show his support to sick and underserved children in the area by giving to Phoenix Children’s, which is one of the ten largest children’s hospitals in the country. Mike approached Garth Brooks about performing a fund-raising concert, and his idea led to Teammates opening a new Child Life Zone at the hospital.

Like the other Zones, the Zone at Phoenix Children’s is a safe haven from medical procedures, where pediatric patients can escape the reality of their condition as they engage in creative and therapeutic play. This Zone contains the Garth Brooks Stage, a performance space for patients and visiting celebrities; a multi-use theater for films and other performances; a kitchen and dining area, in which patients can prepare food; a Teen Space, including games and computers to encourage peer interaction; a family resource library; and a quiet area for healing services including yoga, meditation, and massage.

Teresa Boeger

MS, CCLS, CTRS

Teresa is the Director of the Division of Family Centered Care at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Services provided by this division include: Child Life, One Darn Cool School, The Emily Center, Patient Education, Pastoral Care, Volunteer Services, Language Services, Animal Assisted Therapy, Gift Shop, Family Advisory Councils and Children’s Advisory Board. Passionate about providing world-class care, Teresa has spent 27 years serving children and their families at Phoenix Children’s. She has written eight publications and has received 11 state and national awards. She also established the first Children’s Advisory Board in the country, creating a new standard for innovative, family centered care.

A Child Life Zone is a state-of-the-art, therapeutic play area inside a hospital where pediatric patients and their families can play, learn, laugh, and relax. A sanctuary. A place to learn. A hang-out. A game center. A place to be the star of your own show. A place to connect. A place where a kid can be a kid.

Each zone is staffed by child life specialists, certified professionals who help children and their families cope with difficult medical challenges through play, education, and self-expression. Child life specialists teach patients about their illness and what to expect during treatment, and they provide support to patients and their families before, during, and after procedures.

At each of Teammates for Kids’ Child Life Zones, we’ve learned that it’s not enough to simply raise the money to build and open the zone. As with any other property, we need to have the resources to support the ongoing quality and programming within each zone, ensuring the long-term viability of these special places. Each zone must be maintained and updated to keep it functioning as a top-notch facility, with the latest technology, offering the best experience to the kids.

A Zone Angel is an individual or family in the local community who believes in the good work that goes on at the zone, and decides to make a 10-year financial commitment to maintaining that particular zone. For more information on becoming a Zone Angel, contact Jason Grahame.